Introduction:

"Mathematical literacy is an individual's capacity to identify and understand the role that mathematics plays in the world, to make well-founded judgments, and to use and engage with mathematics in ways that meet the needs of that individual's life as a constructive, concerned, and reflective citizen" (2003).

Individuals encounter countless situations in day-to-day life that require a strong mathematical foundation in order to make informed decisions.

one of the real-world situations is listed below. This situation requires a mathematical comparison of cost options in order to determine which offers the greatest economic advantage.

•  Compare two monthly phone calling plans to determine which plan is most advantageous based upon a customer's

Task:  

A.  Introduce the problem by doing the following:

1.  Describe the selected real-world scenario.

2.  Explain the needs of the hypothetical customer.

3.  Discuss two cost options that are being considered.

B.  Evaluate the cost of each option algebraically by doing the following:

1.  Develop a linear algebraic equation with clearly defined variables to represent the cost of each option.

2.  Explain the reasoning behind the way each equation is constructed.

3.  Solve the system of linear equations algebraically using either the substitution method or the elimination method to determine where the two cost options are equivalent, showing all work.

a.  Explain each step used to solve the system of linear equations. Include the following in your explanation:

• The algebraic method used to solve the system of equations
• All mathematical operations used to solve the system of equations
• The solution of the system of equations

C.  Depict the situation graphically, using an appropriate graphing software such as Excel or an online graphing utility.

Note: For this task, your graph should be computer-generated rather than drawn by hand.
Include the following in your graph:

• A depiction of each cost option on the same graph
• Clear labels of the cost to the hypothetical customer for both options on the graph
• The intersection of the cost options (if one exists)

D.  Discuss your recommendation to the customer based on both mathematical reasoning and contextual details. Your discussion should include the following:

• How the algebraic evaluation and graph support the recommendation
• Any relevant contextual details that pertain to the recommendation (e.g., flexibility, distance, availability, etc.)